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The ICC Champions Trophy, which was brought back to life after an eight-year hiatus, will not see the Indian cricket team visit Pakistan next year. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of their decision, according to an article in the Indian Express. According to the report, the BCCI stated their wish to play all of their games in Dubai and justified their decision by citing security concerns. “There is no justification for us to alter our position, which has been this. We have written to them and asked them to shift our games to Dubai,” a BCCI official told the Indian Express on the condition of anonymity.
The Asia Cup in 2023, which was held using a “Hybrid Model,” was the most recent competition that Pakistan hosted. The Indian team played all of its matches, including the championship game, in Sri Lanka.
The most recent development, however, follows a meeting between Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Islamabad.
Additionally, according to recent reports, the PCB proposed to the BCCI that their team visit India following each match. However, it seems that the BCCI has also rejected this option and is adamant not to travel to Pakistan.
Since they cannot compel any board to defy its government policy, the ICC is unlikely to get involved in India’s refusal to visit Pakistan.
The PCB’s tentative schedule states that the Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan, who are bitter rivals, will take place in Lahore on March 1 of the following year.
The tournament is slated to begin on February 19, 2025, with Pakistan facing New Zealand in Karachi. The final will take place at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 9.
For logistical and security reasons, all of India’s matches have been held in Lahore, as per the provisional schedule.
Since some of the world governing body’s top officials are scheduled to return to Lahore next week, the PCB is pressuring the ICC to release the tournament schedule by then.